Oct. 22, 2015 - Investment in non-residential building construction amounted to $12.9 billion in the third quarter, down 0.5% from the previous quarter. This was the third consecutive quarterly decline and largely reflected lower spending on the construction of commercial and industrial buildings.

You may recall that in the June, 2015 issue we discussed the press release from the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General where the law firm of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP had been appointed to conduct an expert review of the Construction Lien Act. Their review had been scheduled to be completed by the end of 2015 but that is now looking unlikely.

Along with two other interested parties I recently completed a literature survey and report on the potential impact of climate change on Canadian buildings and infrastructure. The report was more like speculation than hard-core research because we didn’t test any of our conclusions or suggestions.

Our cover story this week is about accreditation of glazing companies, a topic I imagine will get very different reactions depending on the reader. It’s a new thing for the Canadian glass industry, but certainly not a new idea in business. How people react to the idea of accreditation says a lot to me about where they are as a business and how they approach the market.

Oct. 8, 2015 - The total value of building permits decreased 3.7% to $7.5 billion in August, following increases of 15.5% in June and 0.7% in July (revised data). The decline was attributable to lower construction intentions in most provinces, mainly British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and Saskatchewan.

It was a way back in February 2010 when I penned that hard-hitting journalistic gem about our cronies’ expedition to Las Vegas to commemorate the 60th birthday of good, old Brian Wiles. You may recall the good-natured banter about Brian and our trip that concluded with, “Next time you see him, you may want to ask if that’s ‘Old Man Smell’ cologne he’s wearing.”

The National Film Board of Canada recently won an International Emmy Award for its innovative documentary titled Highrise/Out My Window. The compelling web documentary allows viewers the opportunity to take a glimpse “through the windows” at the lives of 14 different high rise residents. The video can be found at outmywindow.nfb.ca.

Specifying glass using good, better or best options is a basic concept that can be instrumental in the selection and design process. Various considerations for your glass selections will include safety, energy, loads, and security for a basic system, and can be improved with specialty high performance products to address sound, glare, aesthetics, and performance concerns. These value-added products will differentiate your project to exceed common expectations and would be better/best options.

If discussions over beers at industry gatherings are any indication, there are some who are on the brink of abandoning Canada as a market. The complaints are familiar, but exacerbated at the moment because of the surge in demand in the recovered U.S. construction industry compared to the relative stagnation here.

July 27, 2015 - Lawyers charged with conducting a review of the Ontario Construction Liens Act have released a comprehensive document designed to educate industry stakeholders about the issues the review will be considering this fall. The document contains valuable background on the present law and common practices surrounding payment for construction contracting, and lists dozens of proposals for remedies and improvements that the review will consider. Upon completion of the review later this year, Bruce Reynolds, lead counsel for the review, will report his findings to the Ontario government including input gathered from across the Ontario construction industry. This information is expected to inform Ontario government policy going forward, including possible new legislation and/or regulations governing payment practices. The Ontario Glass and Metal Association is circulating the report and encouraging Ontario glaziers to submit their comments.

July 9, 2015 - FedDev Ontario Minister Gary Goodyear has announced a contribution of $3,227,750 to the Western Ontario Community Futures Development Corporation Association (WOCDFCA) to support the growth of small- and medium-sized enterprises in southwestern Ontario.

June 24, 2015 - – Greco Aluminum Railings has been selected by The Beck Group to design and supply over 4,000 lineal feet of glass railings for the “Eviva of Cherokee”, an 18-story apartment tower in Denver, Co.

The Window and Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA) has released the WDMA 2015 Architectural Door U.S. Market Study. This report provides data and insights needed to understand the industry's performance, key trends, and future direction. The report is based on extensive industry input for product shipments in 2014 and was prepared, researched and analyzed by Metrostudy, a Hanley Wood company, and the Virginia Tech Center for Housing Research (CHR).

A full year has now passed since Bill 69 was set aside by the Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills of the Ontario Legislative Assembly. You may recall that Bill 69, named the Prompt Payment Act 2014, was a private member’s bill presented by Steven Del Duca, Member of Provincial Parliament for Vaughan. Its main provisions would have seen that the financial risk on construction projects would be more equitably shared and would have provided subcontractors with greater recourse to collect money owed to them.